Page 20 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Unit 1: Speaking Skills

of honor and self-respect, confidence, integrity and interest in the person/persons before us. A notes
head bent low, depending upon the situation, would show modesty, politeness or quietness. On
the other extreme a head drawn too far backwards or stiffly held straight up indicates pride or
haughtiness. Head jerks indicate insolence, rejection or agreement, depending upon the context
and personality of the person concerned. Nodding the head side way or back and forth conveys
the intended meaning more eloquently than words.
Body Shape: Behavioural scientists have studied the shapes of our bodies and have broadly put
them in the following types:
Ectomorph: Thin, youthful and tall, Mesomorph: strong, athletic, muscular, and bony.
Endomorph: Fat, round and soft.
We cannot do much about the shape of our body, but we can no doubt put it to effective use. Both
our body shape and posture affect what we think about ourselves, how we relate to others and
how others relate to us or respond to our moves.
Mostly we act spontaneously, whether we meet a friend or participate in a meeting. But we do
become self-conscious while appearing for an interview or making a presentation. On such an
occasion we try to make the best possible impression.
Posture: A person’s general posture, even without specific gestures, communicates meaning. The
body position of an individual conveys variety of messages. It is the position of the body or of
body parts. For example, superiors usually take a more relaxed posture than their subordinates.
Posture is also a way to demonstrate interest in another person.
Several writers have concluded what when you lean forward to the persons to whom one is
speaking with, you demonstrate interest in that person. Sitting back, on the other hand may
communicate lack of interest. It is difficult to assess exactly the meaning of postures. Warren
Lamb says that a person’s posture and gesture can tell much about how effectively the person
will perform in an organization.
Appearance: Appearance, for our purpose, includes clothing, hair, jewellery, cosmetics etc. All
these may seem unrelated to body language, but on having a closer look we find that they are
very meaningfully related to our face, eyes, gesture etc.

Did u know? A famous writer has said that a man is recognized by his “dress and address”;
“Dress” does not need any explanation. By address he means the way a person speaks to
other. Every occasion has its own particular type of dress.
It may be formal or informal. It is normally a part of an organization’s work rules to have a formal
suit for the working hours. Certain organizations have a uniform for all levels of workers. If one
changes from the formal dress to informal or casual he is easily noticed, and his dress speaks
volumes about his attitude to life, to work, to his colleagues and his own feelings. It is not just the
dress or clothes that are important for any occasion but also shoes, hair style, perfume etc., that
convey ‘meaning’ in nonverbal form.

Proxemics or space language and surroundings

Just as ‘Kinesics’ is the study of body language, ‘Proxemics’ is the study of how we communicate
with the space around us. Proxemics is made from “Proximity”, which means nearness, and
includes the space around us and our physical environment or surroundings. It is a complicated
matter indeed, but in order to make our communication effective we must take all these factors
into account and put them to the best possible use. Scientific studies have been made in respect
of all these factors separately as well as how they influence each other. Any organization or
individual, critically influenced due to communication can draw great benefit from the findings
of these studies.

lovely Professional university 15